Kingpin locks exist in the prior art. Kingpin locks cover the kingpin of a semi-trailer to prevent connection of the semi-trailer to a semi-tractor. One common method of stealing the contents of a semi-trailer is to approach a trailer that has been disconnected from its tractor and parked and to use an additional, unauthorized, tractor to connect to the kingpin of the semi-trailer to then drive away with the semi-trailer in its entirety. Kingpin locks which exist in the prior art are generally utilized to cover the kingpin with a lock which has a receiving aperture or wraparound device which permits lockable engagement to a trailer kingpin to prevent a thief from attaching the trailer to a secondary tractor vehicle.
Generally, a kingpin lock has a bulky enough structure that it makes it impossible to engage the kingpin enclosed in the kingpin lock with the fifth wheel of the tractor.
Unfortunately, enterprising thieves have discovered that many kingpin locks can be defeated by modification of existing fifth wheel devices. A fifth wheel generally includes a large, substantially flat plate with a funnel shape entrance at the rear which receives the kingpin and directs it to a slot where a crossbar secures the kingpin in the slot. Current kingpin locks are often substantially cylindrical devices large enough to prevent the kingpin from entering the slotted portion of the fifth wheel. Enterprising thieves have modified the fifth wheel by drilling a hole horizontally through the fifth wheel so that a bar can be used to close off the funnel-shaped entry to the fifth wheel. This allows the thief to engage the prior art kingpin lock in the funnel-shaped portion of the fifth wheel and then secure it there, by placing a bar through the drilled holes and across the opening of the funnel-shaped area. This secures the kingpin lock in a way similar to the way that a kingpin would be secured and allows the thief to pull the trailer with the tractor to drive it, along with its contents, away.
Another approach to stealing a trailer that has been locked with a kingpin lock is to remove or destroy the lock. A thief is not generally interested in consuming valuable time analyzing a complex locking system. Instead, thieves are likely to employ force in an attempt to break the locks. Since many conventional and often-complex locks include components undesirably exposed outside the kingpin lock housing, vulnerability is relatively high. Existing kingpin locks that include thin housings and light weight structures can be subjected to substantial force with tools such as sledgehammers, pry bars and large pipe wrenches to initiate breakage. In addition, the kingpin structure is very robust so that blows directed radially toward the center of the kingpin tend to be effective in breaking kingpin lock structures before breaking the kingpin.
Thus, the trucking industry would benefit from a kingpin lock that would more effectively deter efforts to defeat existing kingpin locks.